


SMOKING ROOM

by unknown_name



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bonding... Somewhat, Conflicted Feelings – Resentment vs. Yearning For Paternal Affection, During Canon, Father Saves Son, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Repressed Paternal Instinct, Sexual Harassment – Female On Male, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 11:16:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15795387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknown_name/pseuds/unknown_name
Summary: Shidou Masayoshi was a practical man. The chosen one amidst the small, he was part of the people who transcended utter nonsense like acting on instinct, succumbing to their impulses, or allowing themselves to be driven by raw emotion. There was no room for personal feelings in a world where every single decision was motivated by whatever benefits and advantages would be gained from them. This is why he saved him. This is why he felt protective of him, and this is why he wouldn't allow anyone to harm him. Because Akechi Goro's existence was his greatest advantage, and nothing else.... And nothing else.





	SMOKING ROOM

**Author's Note:**

> I usually prefer not to warn about the kind of content my stories include so as to avoid spoilers, but I think it is necessary for this new one-shot. Besides the non-consensual use of incapacitating drugs, it depicts a scene of sexual harassment (forced kissing and inappropriate touching mostly) and also of attempted rape, the keyword here being "attempted." While the two scenes are described in detail, they do not include actual pornographic content, although they are both still meant to be seen as disturbing. I also wish to stress that Shidou is NOT involved in either of them – the relationship between him and Goro in this story is a strictly platonic one.

"... And with her disappearance, the number of female teenagers going missing those past few months has now exceeded eight. What was initially ruled out as a string of unrelated runaway incidents is now strongly believed to be a serial abduction case, the motives of which being currently unknown. The two suspects that were taken in for questioning last Monday have been released due to lack of definite evidence. Authorities urge the population to report any suspicious behavior they might come across, and not hesitate to..."  
  
It was a tense, gloomy atmosphere that was befalling the police station on that Friday morning. Officers and employees alike were on edge, trading words in low murmurs while throwing somber glances at their superior as he tried in vain to bring moral support to a middle-aged couple who seemed beyond comfort. Nearby, an intern was mechanically plastering yet another missing poster upon the already cluttered wall, in between dozens of alarmingly similar notices. Even the weather outside seemed to reflect the overall mood, with a perpetually cloudy sky that wouldn't let a single patch of blue pierce through. As four officers stepped inside the station, their faces already providing a grim clue as to what they were about to report, Niijima Sae sighed to herself and redirected her attention to her laptop. The newscaster was now listing the common traits between each of the victims, notably that they were all last seen in the vicinity of Shibuya.  
  
"So, not exactly in Shibuya, but not too far either is what he means, huh..."  
  
The source of the remark came from a teenage youth standing behind her. Akechi Goro was peering over her shoulder at the screen, eyes serious and chin held in his hand. Despite his looks that might give the impression of a ditzy idol, he was actually a sharp, famous detective, and also her partner – or her assistant, as he so often liked to claim in jest.  
  
"Do you have an idea as to where the kidnappings supposedly take place?" she asked without turning her sight away from the news report. Akechi-kun remained silent for a moment, until he let out a dejected sigh of his own.  
  
"Well, there are several possibilities I have considered... but none the police haven't searched already. Something must have been overlooked, though... I will try to investigate the matter further as soon as I–"  
  
"No, let the police handle this. You are not officially assigned to this case, remember?" she interrupted, meeting his big, blinking eyes. "Besides, your hands are full enough as it is. Have you looked into what I asked you to regarding those so-called Phantom Thieves?"  
  
While this matter she was bringing up was an important one, she couldn't help but let her gaze drift for a fleeting instant toward the middle-aged couple, who was now being escorted out of the station. Her thoughts returned to the kidnapping cases, and she briefly closed her eyes, giving a silent prayer for Makoto's safety.  
  
"The possibility that they might be affiliated to Shujin Academy, right?" he recalled, and she forced herself to focus again. "Well, my profiling points to that direction, at least... Here, I'll show you my notes..."  
  
Akechi-kun produced from his pocket a small notebook and opened it to the last scribbled page for her to see. Her eyebrow furrowed with each line her sight fell on.  
  
"... Thank you for showing me this." she finally said several moments later, still fixing the notebook, before asking rather bluntly if she could borrow it for the day. Although he seemed surprised, Akechi-kun complied like he always did – with a smile.  
  
The next half hour was spent discussing the recent scandal that took Tokyo by storm overnight – a scandal involving famous artist Madarame Ichiryusai confessing a series of crimes the existence of which nobody had ever suspected as far as Niijima Sae knew. His confession had been so out of the blue, she simply couldn't make head or tail of Madarame's logic. It was all the more intriguing given the similarities with the dozens of strange incidents reported those past two years, the ones she was trying to solve for months now, in which otherwise normal people suddenly went on rampages without warning. What could cause a person to undergo such a drastic change? Akechi-kun's theory involved the possibility of someone else's will at work, and while the appearance of a mysterious group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves of Hearts did seem to back him up, it all seemed too absurd to be true. There was no such thing as outsider manipulation, especially when it bordered into the supernatural kind.  
  
... But then again, if Akechi-kun was wrong... what else could explain Madarame's unthinkable  _change of heart,_  as well as Kamoshida Suguru's? Could those Phantom Thieves really have something to do with those incidents, and by extension the rampage cases? Was this calling card business really not a prank, or...?  
  
"Nakanohara Natsuhiko?" she read aloud, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at the detective's neat handwriting. "Akechi-kun, who is this?"  
  
"A former pupil of Madarame's. He was one of his victims, too." he replied, looking up from his own documents. "While I don't know if he is involved in the scandal or not, I thought it wise to keep his name in mind, just in case. After all, he most likely had a grudge against–"  
  
A sudden buzz coming from his cell phone interrupted him. As he muttered an apology and reached for it, Niijima Sae frowned in concentration, her mind storming with dozens of questions, but no answers to quell any of them.  
... If she hadn't been so engrossed in her thoughts, she would have definitely noticed. She would have noticed the way Akechi-kun's big, innocent eyes seemed to transform upon reading his new message, changing into something cold, something stoic.  
  
"... I have to go, Sae-san." he informed while standing up. "I forgot that I am supposed to represent my school today during a very important panel. They are summoning me to prepare for the conference."  
  
With this, he promptly pushed his chair back against the table. The woman's eyebrow furrowed further.  
  
"Is that so?" she replied, watching closely as he packed his belongings. "I admit I really needed your assistance today, but your obligations come first, I suppose."  
  
Akechi-kun replied only with a weak smile, and left. Niijima Sae, for her part, merely breathed out a sigh, unaware of the detective's impassive stare upon her back as he stood by the main stairs leading to the exit. The gleam in his eyes was gone.  
  
"Sorry, Sae-san." he uttered, his voice quieter than a whisper. "Work came up."  
  
Silently, he left the police station. He never looked back.  
  
"Is it done?"  
  
... The text message he received later that day was concise and blunt. Akechi Goro didn't immediately reply, though. He was lying listlessly in bed, one arm behind his head as he stared at his phone for what seemed like an eternity. The two bright, tiny reflections of the screen in his eyes could pass for the legitimate glint of life, but they were just that – an imitation.  
  
"Yes. The shutdown should occur in around ten days' time." he sent back mechanically, not bothering to mention that he had been about to report the status of the job just as his phone vibrated. The next two messages arrived only minutes later.  
  
"Good."  
  
"There is something I want to discuss regarding the matter of the other day. Come to my office tonight at 8 pm."  
  
This was the end of the conversation. The young man paused on the message briefly, until he eventually lay his phone aside on the nightstand for the time being. Then, he closed his eyes.  
  
"... Like you asked, I checked again, and the result was the same. I can't access his Palace anymore." he said several hours later, standing tall and straight, almost like a soldier as Shidou Masayoshi observed him from behind his desk. "I... admit I am not sure how that can be. Madarame is definitely alive, after all... It seems there is a way to make a Palace collapse without eliminating the host's Shadow, but I... haven't figured it out yet."  
  
Shidou leaned slightly toward him, clasping his fingers together at mouth level. The ticking of the clock in the room was the sole source of sound until he finally spoke. "Is there a possibility those... Phantom Thieves, as they call themselves, might have something to do with it?"  
  
The way he stressed out the term "Phantom Thieves" was hardly flattering. The teenager kept quiet for a moment, and then gave a brief, stiff nod. "Most likely. I think it is fair to assume they are aware of the existence of the other world and are using it to manipulate their targets into confessing their crimes. They call it stealing people's hearts."  
  
"Hmph. How childish." Shidou spat in an undertone, though loudly enough for his subordinate to hear. The faint hint of a smile crept up Akechi Goro's face, but he made no comment.  
  
"The sudden appearance of this group is intriguing enough, but I am especially curious about their methods." he went on, grabbing his chin out of habit. "The use of the other world, the collapsing of the Palaces, the sudden change of behavior in the targets... Their power seems similar to mine, and yet... I wonder if..."  
  
His voice receded into a thoughtful silence. The power to change one's heart, no, to  _reform_  people... Was it something only the Phantom Thieves could do, or...  
  
"Well, nothing in Isshiki Wakaba's research materials seems to shed light on their methods, at any rate." Shidou interjected curtly. "Not that it matters. We have no use for an ability that turns people into complete pushovers."  
  
Akechi Goro glanced away, one corner of his lips lifting so slightly it was practically unnoticeable. An unbidden thought flashed across his mind, but he shooed it away just as quickly as it came to be.

"Our priority at the moment is to discover who they are. This is the first step toward getting the upper hand." the older man continued, rearing back against his seat. "If there really are people out there running around in the other world, you might encounter them eventually. I want you to spy on them, and immediately report afterwards."  
  
"Yes, sir." he replied with a nod. "I will do my best to track them down, both in the other world and the real one."  
  
"I'm counting on you then. Make sure they don't suspect your existence, however." Shidou added, albeit unnecessarily. "We can't let them find out there is someone else besides them who can use the other world to their advantage. If, by some accident, they happened to run into you inside a Palace and your identity was compromised somehow..."  
  
"... I would dispose of them all. They would take their discovery to the grave." Akechi Goro finished, a smile on his lips. The older man answered with a satisfied smirk of his own.  
  
"I am glad we see eye to eye. Not only their actions might expose the existence of the other world to the public, what with this obvious thirst for attention, but they also caused us to lose a valuable source of income in Madarame. It is about time they learn what it means to defy us."  
  
And on those words, he stood up – the teenager's cue that this meeting was over. "It's getting late. Since my driver couldn't make it today, I will be the one to drive you home this time."  
  
For the first time, Akechi Goro's composure slipped.  
There was no longer this vibe of cold professionalism and ruthlessness around him, the air of the co-conspirator. In that moment, he looked like nothing else so much as a confused child.  
  
"Y-You will? You don't need to bother, Shidou-san... I can take the–"  
  
"Hmph, it's alright." he interrupted as he walked past him, putting both black hat and jacket on. "Let's go already."  
  
Realizing full well the matter was settled whether he liked it or not, Akechi Goro admitted defeat and had to scurry behind Shidou to keep up with his long strides, feeling somewhat restless all of a sudden. While he did appreciate the gesture – he couldn't pretend he looked forward to a forty-five minute subway ride very much, especially at that hour, and taxis were absurdly expensive – the fact that it came from his superior of all people caught him completely off-guard. He had known Shidou for about two years now, had met him countless times to discuss their plans, but today would be the first instance where they would interact without a desk standing between them...  
  
"So, how are things going with that prosecutor? She doesn't suspect anything, does she?"  
  
In the end, though, his concerns turned out to be unjustified. The atmosphere inside Shidou's car wasn't too different from his office's – only the topic of their conversation was.  
  
"No, she doesn't. The SIU director has her completely fooled." the teenager replied, recalling Niijima Sae's traces of pride in her speech each time she mentioned how much her superior trusted her... or so she believed, anyway. "Like you requested, I also brought up in passing the similarities between the changes of heart and the rampaging incidents, and while she didn't seem too convinced at first, I believe she is slowly but surely starting to give it more thought. It is only a matter of time before she is completely wrapped around our finger."  
  
The chuckle Shidou let out sounded triumphant, but there was also a very noticeable part of amusement echoing through it. His smirk lingered even as he responded. "Hmph, and to think she is supposed to be an intelligent woman. Then again, all women are foolish to begin with."  
  
It was a good thing he was focused on the road, or else he would have probably asked why the teenager clenched his fists so hard all of a sudden. Akechi Goro's sight fell on the two silver jewels pinned to his collar, and the look in his eyes changed.  
  
"Yes... They really are."  
  
Silence enveloped them both. The streets outside were teeming with life under the neon lights that illuminated Tokyo's early summer evenings. The teenager gazed at the blur of colors distractedly, his chin resting in his hand, and without looking away from the window, finally spoke up. "By the way, Shidou-san... May I ask what you are hoping to accomplish by drawing attention to the similarities between the changes of hearts and the rampaging incidents? I will keep steering the public into that direction, of course, but–"  
  
"Hmph. Use your head, Akechi." Shidou cut off without sparing him a glance. "Don't you see the potential in this entire situation? In the Phantom Thieves' appearance?"  
  
A frown of wariness settled on the teenager's features. Stiffly, he turned to look at him. "I'm... not sure I follow."  
  
"Well, let's just say that while they definitely are a threat to us... they might prove themselves quite useful all the same. If I am right, I dare say we have found our greatest trump card in them."  
  
Shidou smirked again – the grin of a conqueror, of someone who could see their victory far ahead in the horizon. Akechi Goro suddenly felt very much out of the loop. "Do you have a plan, Shidou-san...?"  
  
"I wouldn't call it a plan... not yet, that is." he replied, his expression back to neutral. "At this point, all of this is hypothetical. This is why I will wait to see how the situation unfolds before I consider what measures to take. Why won't those imbeciles move already?"  
  
Akechi Goro blinked, and immediately looked straight ahead. Sure enough, the light was green, but the traffic refused to budge.  
  
"We are way past the jam hour at that point... Could there have been an accident?" he wondered, and no sooner did he do so than his answer came in the form of a siren blaring in the distance. Shidou grunted.  
  
"Just our goddamn luck." he muttered, and Akechi Goro couldn't help but feel somewhat awkward. It was because he needed a ride that his superior got stuck in a traffic jam late in the evening, and wasting someone's time wasn't exactly the kind of achievement worthy of bragging about. Especially when that someone happened to be Shidou Masayoshi...  
  
"... I'm sorry, sir. It is because of me that..."  
  
"Hmph. Don't be ridiculous." the older man cut off right away impatiently, and once again, Akechi Goro was taken entirely by surprise. "It isn't like you could have known there would be a jam at that hour, now could you?"  
  
There was a hint of severity in his stare. The teenager looked back at him, feeling rather uncomfortable. "No, I suppose not... But still..."  
  
He interrupted himself, his gaze downcast. He knew he should probably ignore the matter swirling and swirling inside his head, but rationality lost the moment he opened his mouth once more.  
  
"Um, Shidou-san... May I ask you something?" he inquired, his eyes shifting from his lap to the steering wheel in quick succession, until they finally stopped on him – on Shidou. "I would like to know... Why did you offer to drive me home?"  
  
His gaze was intent. The older man returned it, his undecipherable. "... Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, you are a busy man, sir..." he hastened to reply, his heart beating slightly faster than normal. "You probably have better things to do than drive a teenager like me around..."  
  
This remark was met with a long silence. And then, much to Akechi Goro's astonishment... Shidou chuckled.  
  
"You speak like you are some troublesome kid. Don't denigrate yourself so much, Akechi." he commanded, sounding more imperious than comforting. "I am not forgetting that I wouldn't have made it this far without your assistance. Returning the favor is the least I can do... given how much you do for me on a daily basis."  
  
The effect was immediate. Needles of excitement prickled the inside of Akechi Goro's stomach and, feeling rather flustered all of a sudden, he quickly averted his eyes, unable to help the shadow of a sheepish smile on his lips. "I... I see. I'm... honored to hear that, sir."  
  
The older man's smirk was accompanied by a brief nod of the head, but he added nothing more. Akechi Goro fell into silence as well, intoxicated by the sensation of rapture coursing through his veins, the kind that always made him crave for more, the kind that rendered him blind and oblivious to everything else – even to the way Shidou was observing him from the corner of his eye, his smirk gone in favor of a twisted grin.  
  
That kid really was a fool.  
  
"Um, at any rate, the traffic really isn't moving at all..." the teenager said in a poor attempt at changing the subject. He wasn't exactly right, however – the traffic did move, albeit so slowly that even walking would have been a faster option. Being entirely stuck was frustrating enough, but advancing at such a snail's pace was on another level of irritation altogether. The rapid tapping of Shidou's fingers on the wheel made it clear his patience was wearing thin as well.  
His demeanor quickly changed, however, when he cast a glance to his left, right toward the lively street. His expression was subtle, but seemed to be one of recognition.  
  
"... This is a waste of time." he grunted after several more seconds of silence. "I'm going to park."  
  
"Huh?" Akechi Goro muttered as Shidou signaled his intention to the car behind and began to reverse toward the sidewalk. "Shidou-san, what are–"   
  
"There's not much point in waiting inside the car, is there?" the older man interrupted curtly as he gave the handbrake a pull and turned off the ignition. "If we are stuck here, we might as well kill time one way or another, until traffic starts flowing again."  
  
"... I suppose we could, but..." Akechi Goro said somewhat hesitantly, though he argued no further. The next moment, the two of them were in the street, Shidou striding away at a brisk pace and a very confused teenager close on his heels.  
  
"Um, where are we going, sir?" he asked at last, but the older man didn't answer. He merely looked at him briefly before jerking his chin toward the nearest building, then stepped inside. The automatic doors opened on a small reception hall in which the points of interest merely came down to a pair of elevators and a counter. Behind it was standing a sharp-dressed man, who greeted them with a bow.  
  
"Where to?" he asked as he straightened back upright, and smiled a friendly smile upon noticing Shidou. "The smoking room, yes? Please proceed to the fourth floor."  
  
It was clear from the way his inquisitive gaze lingered on the teenager that he wanted to ask something, but he kept quiet in the end – and Akechi Goro didn't have to think hard as to why. Shidou's face was utterly impassive, to the point of intimidating, as he called the elevator.  
  
No words were exchanged during the ride. The silence was pierced only when the elevator doors rattled open to reveal an old-fashioned, luxurious lounge the likes of which Akechi Goro had never been in before. But more than sight, it was his sense of smell that was overcome the fastest – the air was saturated with the scent of smoke. Wisps of blue clouds swirled upward into nothingness, coming off the dozens of patrons scattered throughout the room, from the counter to the sofas. To the windowless walls were fixed classy lamps, their light so dim that the orange glow of cigarettes and cigars alike shone eerily bright in the half-obscurity. Hundreds of expensive-looking bottles lined the shelves of the extravagant bar, to the point that it was difficult not to feel overwhelmed.  
  
Shidou hung his jacket and hat on a coat rack near the elevators before beckoning Akechi Goro to follow him. Although nobody paid them any mind, the teenager still felt somewhat uneasy as they both sat down side by side. He was used to high-class environments where only wealthy adults gathered, but another sweep of his eyes across the room cemented the realization in his mind – he didn't belong here.  
  
"Good evening, sir." a waiter said upon coming across their table, addressing Shidou directly. He was so blatantly excluding the teenager from his greeting, in fact, that Akechi Goro couldn't help a frown after his initial confusion wore away. "Do you wish to order right away, or shall I bring you the menu?"  
  
"No need. I'll have a brandy." Shidou replied with no hesitation, clearly feeling at home.  
  
"Noted." the waiter acquiesced, and then slowly, almost reluctantly turned to the teenager. There was something wrong with his gaze. "... And you, sir?"  
  
"Just bring him whatever cocktail you have." Shidou interjected before Akechi Goro could answer, catching him unprepared. "And make it non-alcoholic."  
  
The mention of the word "non-alcoholic" made the waiter do a double take. Shidou could have announced right there he wanted to order the bar's entire collection of beverages and his reaction wouldn't have been too different. "... Forgive me for asking, sir... but is that boy underage?"  
  
A moment of silence went by, brief, but not any less tense. Shidou was staring at him, with an impassive air that could pierce even steel. "... What if he is?"  
  
The defiance overflowing through his response definitely didn't get past the waiter. Wrinkles creased his face, and he seemed to teeter on the edge of arguing for a split second, but–  
  
"... No, it's nothing, sir. I apologize." was what he said instead, although Akechi Goro could sense it was costing him a great effort. "I will be bringing your drinks shortly."  
  
And on those words, he turned around and walked up to the bar. Shidou's stare was still upon him even as his back was turned to them. "Hmph. Prying bastard."  
  
While his superior seemed entirely unconcerned, Akechi Goro felt a tension in his stomach that didn't take long to spread throughout the rest of his body. Clearly, minors were not allowed here – a small-time fact for someone of Shidou's caliber. Despite himself, the teenager smiled a wry sort of smile.  
  
"... One hour, one hour and a half should do it." the older man muttered while checking the time on his watch. "Just enough for the traffic to flow again, hopefully."  
  
His eyes stopped on the teenager, who straightened up at once. Shidou contemplated him for a very long, almost uncomfortable moment, then–  
  
"Do you play pool, Akechi?"  
  
For a fleeting instant, Akechi Goro wondered if he truly heard what he thought he did. He threw Shidou a half-wary, half-confused look, but not before his sight flickered onto the pool table in the corner of the room. "... Pool, sir? No, I can't say I do..."   
  
"Why not?" the older man asked right away, his attention fully on him. The teenager held his gaze for a moment, until he looked down.  
  
"Well, um... I suppose it is because I don't have any experience with pool games. I never got the opportunity to try my hand at it, and I don't know the rules either, so–"  
  
"Hmph, that's fine." Shidou cut off as he stood up and stared down at him, his gaze unchanging. "Come. I'll teach you."  
  
His authoritative tone of voice left no questions as to whether or not Akechi Goro had a choice in the matter. Slowly, warily, he rose from the sofa as well and followed his superior to the pool table, unsure what to do.  
  
"What are you standing there for? Take one already." Shidou snapped as he motioned at the remaining cue on the table, his already in hand. The teenager looked at him for a few seconds, then hesitantly did as he was told.  
  
"We're going to play nine-ball. It's the most straightforward game for beginners." the older man said while chalking up the end of his cue, and Akechi Goro really wanted to ask what the point of that was, but restrained himself for fear of appearing even more ignorant than he already did. "We use the cue ball, which is the white one here, to knock balls one through nine into the pockets in that order. If you manage to sink a ball, you take over my turn and get to keep going. A foul is committed if you sink a ball out of order, like six before two, for example. If that happens, I get to pick where to place the cue ball on the table before taking my shot. The same goes if you sink the cue ball, or if you fail to hit any balls. The winner is determined based on who manages to sink ball nine. Is everything clear?"  
  
Not waiting for an answer, he handed the chalk to the younger boy, who stood there for a moment before finally taking it. His sight strayed back and forth, from the tiny, blue cube in his hand to his cue, until he finally decided to follow Shidou's example. Almost like a zealous student, he thoroughly chalked up the cue – perhaps too thoroughly, in fact, but it wasn't like he could know that.  
  
"Before starting a game, we need to determine who goes first. We call that banking." the older man continued as Akechi Goro put the chalk away. "We do this by striking one cue ball each, and the player whose ball ends up nearest to them after hitting the opposite side gets to go first. Here, I'll show you."  
  
Shidou lowered himself to the table's level, under the eyes of a very attentive teenager. But focused as he appeared to be on the surface, he was actually far more busy trying to process whatever was currently happening, trying to comprehend the absurdity of finding himself in a situation where he would play pool with Shidou Masayoshi, let alone be taught by him...  
  
And yet, no matter how little sense it all seemed to make, a very deeply hidden part inside Akechi Goro's heart couldn't exactly pretend... that it disliked this strange turn of events.  
  
"Keep the cue at hip level and bend toward the table. Don't hold it too tightly, by the way, this is a beginner's mistake. You will aim far better with a relaxed grip." Shidou went on curtly, demonstrating the process step by step. "Of course, you shouldn't imitate my posture exactly. Since you are left-handed, you will have to reverse it and–"  
  
But the rest of his explanation fell on deaf ears. Akechi Goro stared at him, lips slightly parted, and then looked away.  
  
_So he noticed, huh...  
  
_ "... And that's about everything you need to know. Let's get started."  
  
Snapping back to attention, the teenager nodded and the two of them proceeded to the first phase – determining who was going first. Shidou placed two white cue balls a dozen of inches apart at the same level and repeated the process he already showed earlier, this time for real. His shot was a bit stronger than necessary, causing his ball to stop around the center of the table.  
  
"Hmph. Well, your turn." he said briskly, and after a moment of hesitation, Akechi Goro complied. Much to his disbelief, Shidou turned out to be quite a fine teacher – it took the teenager some time before he perfected his posture, but in the end, his shot was ideal, not too strong, not too weak, a good balance that allowed his own cue ball to stop only inches away from him.  
  
"Look at that. You're going first, it seems." the older man remarked, and Akechi Goro was surprised to see he was actually smirking. "That was a nice shot, Akechi. You are already picking up on the importance of a well-measured strike, and your posture was good, too. You learn fast."  
  
Akechi Goro froze up. Once again, he felt something flutter inside the pit of his stomach.

"N-No, sir, that's not true..." he stammered, an involuntarily smile rising to his lips that he desperately tried to conceal by looking at his feet. Shidou seemed amused, but made no further comment.  
  
"Next step is the break shot. It is self-explanatory." he said while gathering the nine balls into a diamond-shaped rack on the table. "Give it your all."  
  
A feeling of elation magnifying his eagerness to prove his worth, Akechi Goro adjusted his posture and took aim. He remained entirely still for several instants, and then struck the cue ball in a controlled, precise shot. The clattering that ensued as the cue ball broke the rack was quite satisfying, though to a lesser extent than the swift rush of adrenaline the teenager experienced upon sinking one of the balls already – a sensation that quickly faded with realization when he noticed Shidou's half-amused, half-mocking smirk lingering on his face. He had pocketed ball four... in other words, committed a foul.  
  
"Heh... Putting the cart before the horse, aren't you, Akechi?" he quipped, grabbing hold of the cue ball and placing it in front of ball one for an easy shot. "Well, it happens. This is the unfairness of nine-ball for you."  
  
Although there wasn't any trace of genuine malice in his words, or so Akechi Goro believed, he couldn't help but feel somewhat humiliated all of a sudden – and in the blink of an eye, what was supposed to be a casual game turned into a one-sided battle for his pride. He didn't want to lose face to Shidou, he didn't want to lose, period, not when he had so much to prove. His fist clenched tighter still around his cue stick, and he watched intently as his superior managed to sink one, two, three balls in a row with a frustration that was hard to conceal.  
  
"Your turn." Shidou prompted after failing to pocket ball five, and never in his life did Akechi Goro feel so determined to wipe the smugness off someone's face. He was so engrossed in the game, actually, that he failed to notice the two women ogling him from the back of the room, clearly finding him as much to their taste as the drinks in their hands. He successfully sank ball five, but was obviously no match for the older man's experience – after several turns of back and forth, Shidou managed to pocket balls six, seven, and eight. Only ball nine remained.  
  
"... About time the real game began. Let's see who can sink it first." he said in a challenging tone, which the teenager accepted with a frown of defiance. Shidou hit ball nine, he hit ball nine, then Shidou hit again. Either it was bad luck or he didn't take the game seriously enough to bother playing better, but even he didn't manage to pocket the decisive ball. What he did manage, however, was to graciously offer with his next attempt probably the easiest shot of the session so far by lining up the cue ball and ball nine right in front of a pocket. Akechi Goro sank it with a tiny, almost insulting tap of his cue and a slight smirk of triumph that he hardly bothered to contain.  
  
"Hmph... I do most of the work, and end up losing anyway..." Shidou grumbled, shaking his head. The teenager gave him an angelic smile.  
  
"Sorry, Shidou-san." he beamed, the words spilling out of his mouth before he could think them. "This is the unfairness of nine-ball for you."  
  
No sooner did he close his mouth than Shidou's eyes narrowed to slits, and he just knew in that moment that he went too far. His stomach stirred to the point of discomfort, a chill seemed to overtake him starting from his core, but just as he was about to bow and apologize profusely...  
  
"Heh... You're right, Akechi. It sure is."  
  
... the older man chuckled. Akechi Goro lifted uncertain eyes at him, taken very much aback, only for his confusion to be suddenly accompanied by a flip of the heart.  
Could he be imagining it? Rather than being simply satisfied, his superior seemed actually proud of him for some reason...

"Ah, he dropped off our drinks." Shidou suddenly said, drawing the teenager's attention to their table. Sure enough, two glasses filled to the brim were waiting for them. "That waiter must be new... He should have brought them to us directly rather than keep them lying around."  
  
Muttering the rest of his complaint under his breath, Shidou strode back to their seats and sat down again, Akechi Goro hastening to do the same. The older man's features softened ever so slightly only when he brought his glass to his lips – evidently, the drink suited him just fine. Feeling somewhat pressured to imitate him, the teenager took a cautious sip of his cocktail. It was way too sweet.  
  
"Where did I put my cigarettes..." Shidou grunted to himself suddenly, searching his pockets. "Ah, there they are..."  
  
One click of his lighter later, a strong smell was wafting from his cigarette, not exactly pleasing to the senses, but not outright repulsive either. Akechi Goro stared, half-stunned, half-amazed – a look that didn't escape Shidou. "What is it? Count me out if you want to try one. I do not want to be held responsible if you get in trouble later on."  
  
And like he was jerked awake, the teenager straightened up at once, his eyes wide with shock.  
  
"I-I wasn't planning to ask for one!" he cried out, outraged Shidou would assume something so absurd, only to regret his outburst the second it left his throat. His gaze kept flicking from the older man to his lap. "I just... I didn't know you were a smoker, Shidou-san."  
  
"There are many things you don't know about me." his superior replied coolly after exhaling a long puff of smoke. There was something akin to a distant arrogance in the way he was leaning against his seat and tilting his head back as he released the fumes, the sort that compelled respect and fearful admiration, that made it clear he knew he was part of the great. Akechi Goro gazed as if in a trance, the lit end and the eerie blue wisp curling away reflected in his captivated eyes. It looked almost like some kind of mysterious ghost, wafting upward in a strange and erratic pattern, escaping from a single speck of orange light that glowed so vivid, it seemed to brand itself into the teenager's sight.  
  
"No... I suppose not."  
  
Silence fell over them – a stark contrast to the lively, albeit one-sided conversation happening at the counter. A stocky man was seated there, pouring his incomprehension onto the barkeep who, for his part, looked supremely unconcerned. Given how intent the patron's glare was as he watched the brown-haired boy from the corner of his eye, he was not happy.  
  
"... But seriously, what's up with that kid? Since when are teenagers allowed here?" he was snarling, spitting the words like pure venom. "Why haven't you thrown him out yet already? You always do that when a brat happens for who knows what reason to wander in here."  
  
The barkeep merely kept polishing some glasses by way of answer, which made the patron's scowl deepen. Apparently, he didn't take kindly to being ignored.  
  
"No, really, what if he starts bringing buddies in and stupid kids come crashing here every night? Don't tell me you're okay with this place turning into a daycare." he insisted, though the barkeep would only mind his business in silence. The patron glowered at him for a few moments, but to no avail. "Man, you really turned into a pushover, didn't you. You're the owner and you won't kick out even a–"  
  
"That kid is off-limits. He's with Shidou." the barkeep said at last, not bothering to look up. The confused "Huh?" the patron let out forced him to elaborate. "He's a regular. Also an important guy, more important than everyone else in this room put together, you included. He could let dozens of kids run around the place and I would give them all chocolate milk if I had some."  
  
"Wha...? You can't be serious, you old bastard..." the patron muttered, like he couldn't believe his ears, and then glanced over his shoulder at the mismatched pair. "... So that scary-looking guy is a regular, huh. Who the hell is he anyway, the kid's old man? Nah, they seem too distant, the kid's all formal and stiff... Don't tell me Baldy is his bodyguard or something."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. And drop it already." the barkeep commanded, a furrow finally appearing between his eyebrows. "Whatever his reason is, Shidou brought this kid here, and that's that. Get over it."  
  
The patron seemed scandalized, but his frown of outrage eventually faded in favor of weariness. With a sigh, he propped his chin in his palm, and gave the barkeep a flat look. "Man, you really stick to that policy of yours, don't you? The customer is king, the customer should never be questioned, and so on..."  
  
"That's right. You better take notes." the barkeep said curtly, and looked up at last only when he noticed the waiter had approached the bar. "Here you are. Think you'll manage on your own until closing hours?"  
  
The waiter nodded and skirted around the counter, taking the barkeep's spot while he gave him some last-minute instructions before leaving. The patron spoke up only when the doors to the elevator closed behind him.  
  
"Man, that guy's gone soft. I might have to start looking for another place to get my drink, given the kind of people he allows in now..."  
  
"... You're talking about the brat over there, right? Yeah, about that..." the waiter began, his speech such a violent shift from his formal facade that he didn't seem like the same person anymore. His eyebrows were knitted closely together, and he was speaking in a hushed mumble. "I think I know who he is. Kid's kinda famous."  
  
"Is he now." the patron said while peering idly at the ceiling.  
  
"This is serious, you idiot. I wasn't positive at first, I thought he might be nineteen or something... but after I asked Suit to make sure, I realized it was really him. Kid is freaking underage... meaning he's still in high school."  
  
It was the patron's turn to show annoyance. His eyes rolled dramatically before he condescended to lay them on the waiter. "Never heard of cutting to the chase, did you. Why should I care about some random kid's ID?"  
  
"That's the thing... he is not some random kid. You don't know about the high school detective prince? Akechi Goro, I think the name was."  
  
The patron's demeanor changed. For the first time, the waiter had his full attention. "... Detective?"  
  
"And a talented one at that, apparently. Keeps showing up on the news and stuff." the waiter specified grimly. "Hey... You don't think he is onto us, do you?"  
  
An ominous silence went by. The patron glanced over his shoulder, right at the so-called kid detective, his eyes thin like slits.  
  
Meanwhile, said detective and his superior were keeping the conversation going, though really only so as to kill time rather than because of some genuine interest – discussing what they already did again and again during their meetings wasn't exactly exciting. Akechi Goro considered changing the subject to a more mundane one, but he knew there was no talking about anything except mission-based topics when it came to someone of Shidou's stature. Besides, if there was one thing he couldn't imagine himself doing, it was bringing up the weather or something equally superficial to his superior, to the point that even the mere thought was embarrassing him...  
  
"We really are lucky to have the chief prosecutor on our side, in any case. That 99.9% success rate in getting a guilty verdict is nothing to be shy about." Shidou was saying after he finally emptied his drink – the teenager's glass remained untouched since his first sip. "A detective arresting whoever stands in my way, and a prosecutor sending them to rot behind bars... Heh, now that's a winning combination."  
  
A chuckle escaped him. Akechi Goro gave a weak smile as well, more out of politeness than genuine amusement.  
  
"What's more, Okumura was so satisfied with the latest _results_  we providedthat he immediately obliged when I told him I expected his financial contribution to increase in consequence." the older man went on, his jubilation hardly hidden. "As he should. He requests our services so often, he owes us that much–"  
  
A standard ringtone suddenly came on, cutting him off. Shidou produced his phone, and a strange sort of glint lit up in his eyes as he checked out the caller's ID. Akechi Goro had never seen such a look on his face, but knew exactly what it was all the same.  
  
"Shidou speaking. No, no, you are not bothering me at all... How have you been..."  
  
His tone was completely different from the cold, imperious poise that usually defined him so much. It was a bizarre sight, unnatural, almost foreign... and with all that, unsurprising.  
  
"No, not tonight, I am not home yet... Yes, tomorrow should be fine... We could go to the Wilton for dinner if you'd like, and then return to your..."  
  
Shidou suddenly interrupted himself, his eyes narrowing as they fell on the teenager. He contemplated him for several instants before standing up and leaving the room, still muttering enthusiastically on the phone instead of actually bothering to tell him where he was going. Not that he really needed to, of course – he didn't retrieve his jacket and hat, which made it easy to deduce he wouldn't be wandering too far, so long as it was somewhere else. Whatever the rest of his conversation entailed, it was clear he preferred to keep it private.  
  
... And Akechi Goro didn't want to hear another word, anyway.  
  
_Enjoy it while it lasts, you bastard..._  
  
His fists were clenched so hard that, hadn't he been wearing his gloves, his fingernails would have probably dug deep marks into the palms of his hands. Even so, he wouldn't have been aware of the pain – the blind rage suddenly possessing him was all too encompassing. He had been stupid, stupid to forget the kind of person he was with, stupid to even  _enjoy,_ very deep down, this time spent together despite his distant discomfort...  
  
Shidou Masayoshi was an evil man. No matter what happened, Akechi Goro wouldn't allow anything to stand in his way, no walls, no obstacles, not even himself. Thirteen years went by since he was left behind... thirteen years went by as that man kept walking free. Only six more months before the fatal blow, and Shidou Masayoshi's life would be finished, exactly like he himself finished the lives of Akechi Goro's mother and his own.  
... This is the sort of man his father was.  
  
Just imagining him flirt around made him sick. He hated him, despised him, couldn't stand to even think of him, and he hated that mistress of his too, for having no idea how rotten Shidou really was, she was completely clueless, the stupid woman–

"Uh, excuse us... Mind if we sit here for a bit, love?"  
  
In a split second, the ferocious scowl on Akechi Goro's face vanished. He blinked several times, his big, round eyes suddenly conveying nothing but confusion.  
  
"Oh, of course he doesn't mind, do you, sweetie? I mean, it must feel very lonely, sitting here all by yourself like that..."  
  
The sugary sweet cooing was coming from two women, tall, thin, both nice-looking – and reeking of alcohol. As if that wasn't indication enough, the flush on their faces painted an even sharper picture of their inebriety.  
  
"Um... Actually, I–" he began, but his protest was drowned in a surprised gasp as they sat down with little to no ceremony on either side of him. There was a hungry point of shade in their eyes.  
  
"So what's your name, honey?" one of them asked, her face much too close for comfort, leaning forward so that her red, tight dress left very little to the imagination. "What would such a sweetheart like you be doing in this kind of place?"  
  
"You're a minor, aren't you? Children are not allowed inside the bar, you naughty boy." her friend added with the hint of a knowing smile. "It sure is a wonder that the owner has let you in... Not that we mind, of course."  
  
Akechi Goro gaped at her. Now more than ever, he was at an utter, complete loss. "Um... I..."  
  
"Aw, look at him. He's being shy." the first woman cut off, a nauseating maternal note ringing across her words. "No need to be so tense, sweetie. Why don't you relax while we get to know each other?"  
  
How come she was able to string more than two words together given her slurred speech was anyone's guess. Her friend was hardly different – in fact, she seemed even more gone. Her gaze was nearly unfocused, like she wasn't truly seeing him, only looking through.  
  
"No... Please leave me al–" he mumbled, only to get interrupted by a simper of a laugh.  
  
"Why aren't you touching your drink, by the way? A sip or two and you would loosen up in no time, you know? Or could it be... that you dislike alcoholic drinks?"  
  
A great deal of giggling ensued from them both. For some reason, this discovery seemed to please them quite much.  
  
"Prim and proper to the very core, aren't you." the second woman whispered, her eyes turning to crescents. "I bet you wouldn't touch a cigarette with a ten-foot pole, either."  
  
"The picture of a gentleman, isn't he? Such a sweet, good boy we have here..."  
  
The gaze of the woman in red was dangerous. She was speaking in murmurs, her face inches away from his, so close he could see his reflection in her heavily made-up eyes... Something soft came in contact with his leg, and yet another gasp of shock escaped his lips. Like he had been electrified, every single muscle in his body tensed up – her hand was touching his leg, no,  _feeling_  it, slowly creeping its way upward from his knee to his lap in an obscene caress. Just a little more and she would reach his–  
  
"S-Stop!" he yelled desperately, finally freeing himself from the paralyzing spell that had claimed both his body and mind. His heart threatening to tear out of his chest, he grabbed the woman's wrist and wrenched her hand away from him, convinced the violence of his reaction would make her back off. This moment of distraction was the only thing needed.  
  
"Aw, come on, you can't keep him all to yourself... You know I have a soft spot for the uptight ones..."  
  
And before he could react, a swift, searing pain tore through his shoulder, so excruciating he cried out in agony. The glazed-eyed woman tightened her grip, making him face her with a mischievous smile playing across her mouth. He jerked her hand away to clutch his own upon his shoulder so as to soothe the pain, only for his squeezed shut eyes to immediately open wide in a disbelief beyond this world. His whimpers were gone, muffled by the strong pressure against his lips, and in that moment, all of his thoughts were no more. He could barely register anything, not the giggling echoing beside him, not the white-hot pain still swelling up in his shoulder, not even the heavy moans coming from the woman as she cupped his face harder, her eyes closed in pleasure. His mind was going blank, completely fogging up... His body seemed to be refusing every command he was distantly issuing, not finding the strength to push her back, instead passively allowing her better access to invade him, violate him, a thin trail of saliva dripping from his mouth, his wide eyes suddenly glistening with instinctive tears of shock–  
  
What happened afterwards went too fast for him to properly process. In the blink of an eye, the foreign tongue overpowering his own pulled away, followed by a cry of half-surprise, half-protest. But the woman's outrage was little next to the absolute fury etched along every single line of Shidou Masayoshi's face.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing...?" he rumbled as he clasped her arm tighter still, staring down at her in a way that chilled Akechi Goro's very soul. He knew it was only because the alcohol in her system deprived her of her entire awareness of the situation that the woman didn't recoil in fear. "Get out, both of you. Now!"  
  
And like she was some sort of garbage bag, he effortlessly yanked the heavily drunken woman off the sofa and shoved her away, motioning at the one in red to follow suit all the while. The two of them, rather than coming back to their senses, simply staggered toward the elevators, giggling and blowing a kiss to the teenager, who was suddenly overcome by an aftershock wave of nausea. If they felt guilt, remorse, or even shame at being kicked out of the bar so unceremoniously, they hid it well.  
  
The commotion now over, most of the customers who were watching slowly went back to relaxing again, like what just happened had been about as interesting as a series of mild turbulence shaking up an otherwise dull plane flight. Shidou shot a chilling glare at the few pairs of eyes still lingering on them both, and finally sat down only when all heads were turned somewhere else.  
  
"Sir, are you alright? If those two patrons inconvenienced you somehow, I apologize... I will make sure they stay away from now on..." came the voice of the waiter as he trotted up to them, once again addressing Shidou only. The sole answer he got was a stare brimming with contempt, followed shortly by a dismissive hand wave which the waiter scrambled to obey.  
  
The ensuing silence was awkward. Akechi Goro was sitting frozen stiff, chest heaving, tension in his entire upper body, throwing brief glances at Shidou yet afraid of making eye contact all the same. His superior didn't seem to share this state of mind. He appeared to be utterly unnerved, if a bit pensive-looking somehow, releasing just like before a cloud of smoke from his cigarette with this grand, arrogant air of his. The teenager knew he had to thank Shidou for helping him,  _saving_ him, though it was as if the words were stuck in his throat. Thousands of conflicted feelings were storming through his mind and also his heart, but at last, he worked up the courage to say...  
  
"You've got lipstick all over your mouth. Wipe it off already."  
  
Shidou hadn't bothered looking at him while barking his bluntness, cutting him very much short. It prompted both a start and a loud, fearful gasp. "A-Ah... I'm, I'm sorry...!"  
  
Even as he blurted out his apology, Akechi Goro reached for his napkin, face burning with shame while he vigorously rubbed the lipstick off. He could sense the older man watching him from the corner of his eye, his gaze impenetrable.  
  
"Hmph. To think this place is now getting infested with drunkards... and they dare call it high-class still." Shidou grumbled, more or less to himself, though his stare was still fixed upon the teenager. Akechi Goro gave some semblance of response in the form of a throaty noise, but being more substantive was currently beyond his power. His superior observed him for a few more instants, and then took him very much by surprise. "Is something wrong with your shoulder? You are clutching it."  
  
Akechi Goro gasped. Instinctively, he looked down – and sure enough, he was gripping his shoulder tight, without even his notice. His first reaction was to remove his hand right away, and his second to avert his sight in silence. But the older man was expecting an answer, and there was no failing to meet Shidou Masayoshi's expectations.  
  
"No... It's noth–"  
  
"Don't lie to me."  
  
A whip could have suddenly cracked the air and the teenager's reaction would have been the same. He gave a start and then lifted a somewhat trembling head at him. At his father.  
  
"... It was the target's Shadow. After I shot him." he confessed, his gaze now downcast again, his voice slightly strained. "I lowered my guard, and he managed to retaliate with blunt force in his last moments. I'm alright, though... He just left a bruise. I administered first aid on the swelling as soon as I came home, which helped a bit."  
  
"And those two good-for-nothing women just had to jostle the wound, didn't they?" Shidou added in a display of insight, catching the blinking eyes of a very surprised teenager. "Hmph, that's plain as day. You were looking perfectly fine before I left the room."  
  
A silence went by. Akechi Goro looked up at him briefly, then jerked his head in what was supposed to be a nod, though it was so feeble it might as well have been nonexistent. He was hoping the conversation would now finally drift somewhere else – or even better, that his superior would announce it was time to go home – but unsurprisingly enough, Shidou didn't seem inclined to grant his wish. There was one thing that did catch him off-guard, however.  
  
"At any rate, you should get this bruise properly treated. I will give our underground practitioner a call tomorrow, so that he examines you." Shidou said, and without warning, the teenager's heart gave a tiny flutter. "Next time, make sure to be more careful. It would be inconvenient if something more serious were to happen to you."  
  
The tiny little smile that had sprung to Akechi Goro's lips despite himself drooped to a straight line. Whatever drop of elation that came with his father's concern was now lost in a wave of resignation – along with jabs at himself for being so naive. "... Yes, Shidou-san."  
  
The older man merely lit a third cigarette by way of response.  
  
"Are you kidding me?! This table was worth more than half of what all the other customers ordered tonight!"  
  
As the atmosphere inside the smoking room was either relaxed for some or dull for others, the one inside the staff room was anything but. The tension was so high, it seemed almost strange a mere wall could separate such opposite worlds of human emotions.  
  
"And now, thanks to Suit's little stunt, that money just evaporated into thin air! We're talking about several grand here!" the waiter continued, pacing the room with outraged strides while the patron previously seated at the counter – now leaned over the backseat of a chair he was straddling – looked pensive. "And the worst part is, there's no way I could've asked him to spit out the money needed to cover that tab! The customer is king, after all... That's such a load of bullshit."  
  
"That, and your boss said the guy was real important. One more reason not to mess with him." the patron added absently, still very much in thought.  
  
"Man, tell me about it... Still, I can't believe this. Our most expensive liquors, top vintage champagnes and spirits, gone in a flash, and not even a single yen to make up for it! That's a freaking disaster..."  
  
The waiter was barely bothering to contain his rage. His teeth were clenched hard, just like his fists.  
  
"I just knew that guy was bad news the moment he walked in with the brat, parading around like he owns the place." he went on venomously. "Thinks he can do as he pleases, the son of a bitch."  
  
"Yeah, not only he's letting a teenager run around in here, he also owes you a little fortune he'll probably never pay. That really sucks."  
  
The patron's gaze was fixed onto the ceiling. He hardly seemed focused on the conversation.  
  
"But that kid... He's rather good-looking, isn't he?"  
  
The waiter stopped dead in his tracks. Very slowly, he turned to look at him.

"... Yeah, so?" he groaned, a wary frown on his face. "What does that have to do with–"  
  
"I'm just saying that if Baldy doesn't intend to make it up to you, we might as well use the kid instead. Not only you get all your money back, you also get some extra. A lot of extra."  
  
Silence filled the room. Narrow eyes met carefree-looking ones, and for a moment, time seemed like it stopped. "Wait, you can't be suggesting..."  
  
"Course I can. Got the idea from the pair of cougars." the patron cut off airily. "Besides, you said he's a detective. Can't have him snoop around, now can we?"  
  
The waiter seemed to stiffen for a moment. His hesitation was apparent not only in his body language, but in his response as well. "We're not sure he is trying to snoop, though... For all we know, he's completely clueless about us."  
  
Another silence went by, short but tense. The nonchalant air around the patron had vanished. For the first time, he was looking ominously serious.  
  
"... Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Either way, I'm not taking any risks." he replied, finally standing up. "Your boss told me this kid was off-limits, you know? Well, screw that. We need to take him out of the picture, now."  
  
His expression changed – it was now eerie, almost deranged, the smirk of a predator. It was frightening how much it suited his face.  
  
"And what better way to do so than including him into that little business of ours?" he continued, opening his arms in a thrilled manner. "I mean, wouldn't it be... _a waste,_  to ice him right away? When we can kill two birds with one stone? Not only we get rid of him, but he also helps us earn big, real big. I mean, many of our customers have been requesting young males forever now, and with his looks, the tab you're crying over will look like pocket money when you see the dough he's gonna bring in."

The waiter didn't immediately respond. It was clear he found the argument persuasive.  
  
"... You do remember he's famous, right? Some of our viewers might recognize him and spill the beans to the police. Since he's one of them, the consequences would be terrible if we were–"  
  
"Man, since when did you become such a chickenshit? No cop ever managed to pinch us before, what makes you think we'll get found out now?" the patron interrupted, his impatience finally showing. "And besides, him being famous is even better for us. The views will be off the charts!"  
  
He took a step forward. The serious, almost intimidating look on his face returned. "I've got a plan, you know. So, what's your call? You're in, or what?"  
  
For the third time, silence fell over the room. The waiter stared at him, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, his eyes shifting slightly as he turned the matter over and over again in his mind. Then–  
  
"... Fine. Let's hear that plan of yours."  
  
This earned him a triumphant smirk.

Of course, as the plan was being set in motion, no one in the smoking room caught any of it, Akechi Goro included. He was yearning to go home now, and thankfully for him, Shidou was apparently in the mood to as well, if the impatient, annoyed glances he shot around were anything to go by.  
  
"Where on Earth is he? What happened to the rest of the staff?" he was grunting, and wasn't alone in his frustration – several other customers were frantically scanning the room in search of the waiter. "You would think they would be much faster when it comes to bringing the check..."  
  
As if summoned, the waiter exited the staff room, looking rather alarmed. He ignored the nearest table and went straight for theirs, prompting the teenager to raise an eyebrow and his superior to lean slightly forward.  
  
"Forgive me for interrupting, sir. I hope you are having a pleasant evening." the waiter said with a deep bow, but Shidou merely scoffed. "I will be bringing your tab shortly. Also, sir... I just received a message from the building's doorman downstairs. It appears the two... patrons from earlier wish to speak to you... They would like to apologize for the trouble they caused."  
  
Akechi Goro's head shot up in shock. He could sense Shidou's gaze flicker onto him briefly before meeting the waiter's again. "... Do they now."  
  
"Of course, I do not wish to inconvenience you, sir... but those two women, well... they are refusing to leave until they can meet you. Please, sir, I know this is a selfish request, but–"  
  
"Hmph. Asking your own customers to deal with the trash you turn a blind eye to in the first place. Now I've seen it all." the older man cut off, a light flare streaking his glasses as he leaned back slightly. "Besides, what's this about wanting to meet me of all people? I am not the one they should be apologizing to."  
  
The teenager felt his heart give a jolt. He stiffened up and looked away.  
  
"Please, sir, you have to understand." the waiter insisted, a note of desperation in his voice. "They are driving potential customers away–"  
  
"And how is that my problem a couple of lowlifes are causing you trouble? Just call the police and have them removed already."  
  
"We... We did consider that. But, having a police car parked in front of our building, not to mention officers dragging people away, would be very bad publicity for our establishment... This is why we would be grateful for any way to solve this matter without resorting to calling the police..."  
  
And before Shidou could bark his retort, the waiter suddenly did the unexpected – he dropped to his knees, bowing so deeply his face practically brushed the floor.  
  
"Sir, I understand that I am asking you the unreasonable. But please, will you grant me this indulgence?" he begged quite loudly, prompting several curious gazes upon the three of them. No matter the urgency of the situation, that man was way overdoing it. "We can't afford our reputation to be tainted further... You are the only one they might listen to, so please..."  
  
His pleading had risen to a desperate cry, and Akechi Goro couldn't help but shrink in embarrassment at the unwanted attention it attracted. The entire room was now watching. Even Shidou, for the first time, seemed at a loss for words.  
  
"What the... That's enough, you fool." he muttered in a somewhat urgent tone, casting the customers a fleeting glance. "Fine, I'll go... Now shut up already, will you?"  
  
The waiter looked up at once, and then jumped to his feet. A wide, blissful smile was spread across his face as he bowed again and again. "Sir! Thank you so much!"  
  
Shidou vaguely grunted in response. He couldn't have made it plainer he wasn't doing him this favor out of the goodness of his heart.  
  
"What about you, sir?" the waiter asked, turning to the teenager, who lifted confused eyes at him. "Will you hear what those two patrons have to say?"  
  
Akechi Goro's body seized up. He could feel a slow drop of sweat running down his spine. "Um... I..."   
  
"No. He's staying here." an imperious voice cut off, and like he was snapped awake, the teenager blinked. "I am not letting some degenerate woman near him again, let alone two."  
  
Shidou had stood up, fixing the waiter with an intent stare. There would be no room for discussion, that much was clear... and given the slight smile on the waiter's face as he bowed again briefly, he seemed fine with that.  
  
"Shidou-san..." the teenager muttered, only now aware of the layer of sweat covering his forehead. The older man turned to look at him, and his command was simple.  
  
"Wait here. I won't be long."  
  
With this, he skirted around the table and left, leaving a half-relieved, half-disappointed Akechi Goro alone at their booth. Half-relieved because he was grateful Shidou spared him the ordeal of seeing those two women again – not to mention quite surprised at this display of consideration, given the person it came from – and half-disappointed because for a fleeting instant, absurd instant, he thought... he thought Shidou would have...  
  
The teenager's eyes became glazed, looking straight ahead without seeing anything. The life-saving drug was rushing through his veins again, a wonderful, dangerous feeling that ensnared his mind, paralyzed his senses. His breathing was mechanical, slow and deep, his face somewhat glowing, and his brain working relentlessly, conjuring up this delightful scenario again and again, a scenario in which his father would have given him a reassuring smile as he told him he would be back soon, reaching out to pat him on the head all the while...  
  
_Ah... That must feel so nice..._  
  
He didn't realize that his lips were slightly parted in some sort of vague smile. His cheeks were flushed and warm, probably because he was embarrassed to entertain such a childish thought, but he was too drunk with rapture to put it at the back of his mind. Once again, he completely forgot about his hatred for Shidou, about his thirst for revenge – the one currently controlling his thoughts was just a child. A child whose only wish was to be by Shidou's side... to feel secure and safe in his arms... to be able to call him not by his name, but by the word...  
  
"Sir? Can you hear me?"  
  
It was as though invisible hands had yanked him by the hair and dragged him back to reality. The idyllic vision before his eyes was gone, the daydream over.  
  
"Huh...?" he mumbled, his big, blinking eyes meeting the waiter's concerned ones.  
  
"I apologize for the disturbance. As you may have noticed, we are having a problem with the radiators... They are overheating for some reason. We are not sure what is causing this..."  
  
As he said it, Akechi Goro was suddenly hyper aware of the way his shirt and hair were sticking uncomfortably to his skin – his entire upper body was drenched in sweat. The waiter himself didn't seem to fare much better. Now that it had been brought to his attention, it was difficult to ignore how intolerable the heat inside the room was.  
  
"Truly, today isn't our day, is it? Please do not judge this establishment too harshly, sir..." the waiter went on, a weak smile hovering on his lips. "Hopefully this will help you cool off. I will leave one for the gentleman accompanying you, too..."  
  
His words were illustrated by matching coasters set carefully on the table upon which were placed two glasses of water filled to the brim with ice. Akechi Goro thanked him, feeling grateful for the initiative – his mouth was unbearably dry, and judging from how eager the rest of the patrons looked as they enjoyed their own ice cold water, he wasn't the only one to be thirsty beyond measure. The waiter had barely spun around and left when the young man's glass was two thirds empty.  
  
As he put his drink back on the table and laid his eyes upon the second glass, all of his thoughts inexorably returned to his father. Knowing him, those two women were probably receiving the verbal abuse of their lives right about now... and whether Shidou was doing it for the teenager's sake or because he personally felt supreme contempt toward them, Akechi Goro was happy either way. He wondered if it would be presumptuous of him to ask his father what he told them, and how they reacted...  
  
The young man took another chug of water. Yes, Shidou would probably scowl at his curiosity, tell him to mind his own business in this snappy, impatient manner of his... This is what he expected, at least. But then again, the older man had acted mostly anything but the way Akechi Goro expected tonight. Offering to drive him home unprompted, judging it fine to allow him a glimpse of his private life by bringing him to this bar, shooting down the waiter before he could even try to kick the teenager out, teaching him how to play pool and humoring him even after his act of insolence... and then, there was that look of frightening fury on his face as he yanked the drunk woman away from him, too. In that moment, they were no longer mere superior and subordinate. They were what Akechi Goro had always wanted them to be. They were...  
  
"Sir? Sir, are you alright?"  
  
That's right... They were... just like...  
  
_I don't understand... I feel so sleepy all of a sudden...  
  
_ He was feeling light-headed. His eyelids were getting heavy. Everything was starting to spin. Sound was being drowned out.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
A voice was calling out to him, so distant it was as though it was coming from a mile away, but to no avail. The teenager's consciousness was gone even before he swayed sideways. Only one word managed to get out as everything went dark, quieter than a whisper, the call of a boy who simply wanted to say...  
  
"Fa... ther..."  
  
And then, there was nothing more. Nothing, save for two victorious smirks.  
  
"... And don't you waste my time like this ever again. Got that?!"  
  
"B-But sir, I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about–"  
  
Shidou Masayoshi was livid. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so furious.  
  
Yes, tonight had its fair share of minor annoyances and incidents raising his eyebrows. But that latest straw was the one that got the better of his already short patience, making all the other disturbances of the evening retroactively much more infuriating once his rage-filled mind played them again. The fact that one of the elevators skipped the ground floor to stop one level below even after he relentlessly pressed the button didn't help.  
  
He could sense the doorman casting fearful glances at him, but the imbecile had the presence of mind not to keep arguing. When Shidou went down into the lobby to find out nobody was waiting for him, drunkards or otherwise, what started as confusion didn't take long to shift into a storm of vitriol that the doorman's apparent incomprehension only amplified. Shidou Masayoshi didn't take kindly to being made a fool, and whether the other was being sincere or not, he needed someone to take out his anger on. That someone just happened to be the man right there.  
  
But he wasn't the only one that would get a piece of Shidou's mind. No, the hard time the doorman just had would seem like a pleasant moment compared to what that buffoon of a waiter was about to receive. Nobody would get away with making a mockery out of him, Shidou thought as the second elevator finally arrived, not when none of these fools had learned their place. He was the chosen one, after all, the one who would steer this country toward the gate of a new world order. But since nobody, apparently, knew who he was, given how frivolous they dared act in his presence... then it was about time he made himself known.  
  
No sooner did the elevator doors slide open than he strode into the bar, his temper apparent in his gait, his anger already coming in a yell even as he scanned his surroundings in search of the waiter–  
  
And then, he stopped dead.   
  
_Akechi._  
  
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.  
Where Akechi had been, there was now only an empty seat. On the table were two glasses, one full, one not.  
It was like a siren started resounding inside his head. A siren born from an instinct he wasn't aware of.  
His intelligent brain was done processing the facts in the blink of an eye, spinning through each possibility and eliminating all but one. The conclusion it reached was not pleasant.  
Everything was falling into place. Like a puzzle the pieces of which formed a humorless joke. Made-up claim. Distraction. Splitting up. Buying time. Hidden drugs. Blacking out. Taken.  
  
Yes, Akechi didn't leave on his own, he knew that much. And since he didn't, then only that possibility remained.  
  
"Where the hell is he? What did you do to him?!"  
  
"Wha...? Sir, I don't understand–"  
  
"Don't screw with me! The kid who was with me earlier, where is he? What happened to him?!"  
  
"Oh, you mean the young gentleman? Well, since you weren't coming back, he said he would go downstairs himself to meet with you and–"  
  
"Don't give me that shit! That kid knows not to ever disobey me. If he's ordered to wait, then he waits, no questions asked!"  
  
"I-I see... Well, perhaps he had to go to the rest– Urgh!"  
  
No. No, Shidou Masayoshi wasn't going to let that happen. On no account would he let anyone take Akechi away from him. Nothing mattered anymore, not the whispers, not the stares, nothing.  
  
"You want more?! Do I have to beat the shit out of you to loosen your tongue? Or are you finally ready to spill it?!"  
  
After all, none of them could understand. None of them had any idea how much Akechi was worth, those imbeciles. They could gasp in consternation or recoil in fear for all he cared.  
  
"Urgh... Fine, I'll talk. That boy... He's been..."  
  
Still, if they were the fools, then he was the biggest one of all. He had been careless, naive, oblivious. His mind was storming with hundreds of emotions, wrath, confusion, outrage, self-disgust at leaving Akechi alone and falling for those bastards' trap, and perhaps for the first time in years, Shidou Masayoshi was afraid, too. Afraid of what was going on and what could happen next, afraid of what might be his greatest mistake, already prepared not to ever forgive himself if something happened to Akechi, because that kid was his—  
  
_son_  
  
—trump card, and losing it was the one thing he couldn't afford. Not yet, anyway. But until then, tonight would be the first and last time he let anyone so much as lay their hands on him, and those who tried would be as good as dead.  
  
"... an abandoned clubhouse not too far from Shibuya... told the customers we would take care of him after he passed out... brought him to the underground parking lot while you were away, a car was waiting... probably arriving as we speak..."

The scene was ugly. Dozens of bottles had fallen down and broke on impact, swept by the waiter's bulk as Shidou slammed him against the cluttered shelves. A trail of blood was trickling from his nose, and he appeared to have trouble keeping one of his eyes fully open. Everyone else was either watching in silence or voicing their shock, the men trying to stop the altercation without success, the women standing back.  
  
"Hmph. About time you cooperated." Shidou rumbled as he finally let go of the waiter's collar, tossing him roughly to the side for good measure. A very faint glow of relief lit up somewhere within his mind, to the point he couldn't help but release a short breath – apparently, Akechi hadn't been taken too far. "Well, lead the way."  
  
"H-Huh?" the waiter uttered, looking like he had been punched again. But while this prospect was extremely tempting, Shidou settled for the counter rather than the other's jaw, causing the nearest drinks to vibrate from the shock wave.  
  
"Are you having comprehension issues or something?! I said you're going to bring me where he is, right now." he thundered, grabbing him by the collar again. "And while we're at it, you and I are going to have a little chat in the car. Got that?"  
  
"B-But, sir, I... I can't leave the bar unatten–"  
  
"Do I look like I even remotely care? We're going.  _Now!"_  
  
The rest of the crowd might as well have been invisible. Shidou dragged the waiter toward the elevators while ignoring everyone else, like they were a bunch of pebbles on the side of a road. Moments later, he was shoving the waiter into the passenger seat of his car under the confused looks of the passersby, and slammed the door shut so hard it caused the nearest couple to jump.  
  
"Now let me make one thing very clear." he growled once he sat behind the wheel and locked all doors, his warning tone so foreboding the waiter couldn't help but recoil. "If you try to pull something idiotic, like wasting my time or giving me wrong directions, I swear you're going to wish your mother never gave birth to a little shithead like you. You don't want to know what happens when you cross me."  
  
This earned him a frightened yelp, which turned into a shriek as Shidou pulled out of the parking spot – no sign of a traffic jam, this entire mess could have been avoided if only he had decided to leave sooner,  _dammit_  – and abruptly sped through the night. He was driving for all the world like a madman.  
  
"Well, out with it." he barked after the waiter – holding on to whatever was nearby like his life depended on it – sputtered out the next direction. "I want to know why that kid was targeted, and what you're after. Was it for ransom? Blackmail? Tell me everything, and fast."  
  
The waiter swallowed, but the way Shidou unexpectedly braked before gaining speed again, so suddenly the tires screeched hard, seemed to persuade him to comply. And as the car was nearing its destination, the boy named Akechi Goro woke up.  
  
"Huh, surfacing already? I bet that idiot only mixed a single dose..."  
  
Then again, "woke up" might not be the best way to put it. He was simply stirring in his sleep, teetering on the brink of full consciousness, yet not completely ready to leave the darkness either. Some strange sensations, however, did manage to pierce through the numbness enveloping him, and each one of them slowly but surely managed to drag him closer to awareness. The first sign he picked up was a dull headache. The second sign was the perception of a presence near him. The third sign was–  
  
"... Ah!"  
  
His gasp was accompanied by a violent start, and before he knew it, whatever cloud was fogging up his mind cleared up in an instant. The vision of a tall, stocky stranger leaned over him was astonishing enough – the vision of said stranger caught in the process of removing the teenager's blazer was nothing short of a whiplash.   
  
"What the... What are you..." he stuttered in incomprehension, his brain struggling to catch up with the amount of information his sight was cramming into it – the most glaring one being the harsh realization that he was no longer in the smoking room. This one was dilapidated and crowded with various items and furniture, a tattered couch the stuffing of which was spilling out, a dusty table with one leg missing, a perforated lampshade in the corner, the flower-patterned wallpaper faded and worn out. Amidst this scenery one could think belonged to an ancient time, there were traces of modernity here and there that looked quite out of place. The windows were boarded shut, but the room was not dark despite the lonesome light bulb hanging loosely from the ceiling – several spotlights had been switched on, filling the space with their blinding white rays as effectively as daylight. Near the only door was a large table upon which sat a veritable dashboard of hardware, from several computer screens to dozens of cables tangled together. Some of them snaked across the ground and were connected to one, two, three cameras mounted on tripods, all of which were pointed in his direction. Akechi Goro felt his heart flip.  
  
"Quite impressive, huh? The equipment."  
  
The man's tone was brimming with pride. It was as though the teenager was a guest, being shown around the house of his host.  
  
"What are you doing...?" he managed at last, his body feeling heavy, his eyes narrow as the other stood up and nonchalantly tossed his blazer to the side. "Where am I? Who are you...?"  
  
"Just woke up and already playin' detective, aren't ya? Now that's a workaholic if I ever saw one!" came a voice that did not belong to the stocky man, and the teenager watched from the corner of his eye another person walk past him and toward the dashboard of computers. "The boys are almost there. Then we can get started."  
  
Akechi Goro's pulse quickened. A sickening sensation suddenly gnawed at his stomach – a sensation screaming danger.  
  
"Get started...?" he asked, but he felt like he already knew.  
  
The two men exchanged looks. Then, one of them took a step forward, a lazy smile on his lips.  
  
"Guess we owe you a bit of honesty, don't we? I mean, you are about to make the cash flow, after all." he said in a thoughtful tone. "See those cameras? They're the bread and butter of our little business. All of them are connected to a private live chat, viewed every day by thousands of people. You gotta cough up if you want to gain access, but trust me, all our members think it's worth it. I mean, those 100 million we raked last month didn't come from nowhere."  
  
The door opened as he spoke, letting three more people in, and the teenager froze up. Only then did he notice his heart was practically hurling itself against his ribs, like it was trying to escape a prison with no exit.  
  
"There are many businesses like ours on the Internet, but you wanna know what sets us apart from them? Here, I'll let you in on something." the man continued on a conversational tone while crouching into a squat – the leader of the gang, Akechi Goro thought distantly. "People are getting tired of play-acting, man, they want the real deal. That's what gets them off, you see."  
  
His voice was frightening.  
He was sounding almost bored. Almost like he was discussing some particularly dull matter.  
  
"But we, we can show them the real deal. We can fulfill those fantasies of theirs anytime they want." he went on as he stood up again, his speech slower, unsettling. "The hardest part is when we need to find a new... participant, but you know what? I think we can finally stop hunting for a while."  
  
Like flashes, memories from what felt much longer than mere hours ago suddenly flickered across Akechi Goro's mind before vanishing again in the darkness. This was a revelation.  
  
"No way... Don't tell me..." he murmured, laboriously lifting himself onto his elbows. "Those girls who have gone missing the past few months, they are..."  
  
"Heh, you figured that out only now? Guess you really were clueless about us after all." the man cut off, his smile friendly. "But yeah, that's right. They're our property now. The viewers love them."  
  
"Where... Where are th–" the teenager retorted weakly, forcing himself to ignore the disgust building up inside his core, but was interrupted by a derisive scoff.  
  
"Man, you're not thinking of playing Prince Charming and rescuing them, are you? Cause you'd be wasting your time. They're not here, you see. This place is only for the, ah... shootings."  
  
The leader took another step. He was standing tall and straight, his gaze suddenly ice cold. "And besides, I'm pretty sure you got your priorities backwards. I mean, instead of worrying about them, you should probably worry about yourself first."  
  
To drive his point across, he jerked his chin toward it. Toward the thin mattress Akechi Goro was currently lying on.  
  
It happened in an instant. The teenager darted to his feet, driven by a sudden rush of energy that shouldn't have been, ran past the man and shot for the door. He was almost there when–  
  
"Oh no no no, you're not going anywhere. Get back here."  
  
–when a strong, violent blow collided with the back of his head, the impact so powerful his legs immediately gave out. But no sooner did he hit the floor than a vise-like grip grabbed him by the hair, dragging him across the room before throwing him back onto the mattress like some sort of man-sized sack. The wound on his shoulder was roused awake, sending to his brain signals of pain so intense he whimpered in agony. He instinctively tried to clutch it, but...  
  
"Okay, time for more drugs. It'd be a pain in the ass if you started acting up again."  
  
And before he had time to react, somebody clasped his wrists, hard, and kept them pinned above his head. Akechi Goro gasped in shock, struggling and thrashing around, only to feel his heart jump out of his chest and back in again as the leader crouched over him, grasping his chin and forcing his mouth open. He dropped a pill in, then practically jammed the tip of a water bottle into his mouth – he was going to wake up – the water was choking him, spilling all over his lips – he was going to wake up soon – the pill was going down his throat, he was having a coughing fit,  _why wasn't he waking up–_  
  
"The customers are gettin' impatient, ya know? They've been wantin' to see a male delivery for a while after all..." one of the man's partners chimed in, now seated at the computers table and staring at one of the numerous screens. "Check this out...  _About time you got a guy!... Show his face already... I hope it's a middle schooler, but a high schooler is fine I guess... I want to see some double-teaming, alright?... Don't forget the handcuffs and dog collar... Wanna take bets on how long he lasts before he starts begging for it?..."  
  
_ The hands keeping the teenager restrained lifted. He dragged himself into a sitting position, still coughing hard, the obscenities ringing across his ears unbearable, making him want to vomit– _  
  
"No, I hope he resists till the very end, that's much more of a turn-on... I wanna hear him scream!... How about some orgasm denial?... Yeah, what that guy said! Tease him to the edge, make him squirm... I hope he can handle bondage and breath play... Is he more on the scrawny side or buff side?... C'mon, don't hold back, go extra rough all the way... I wonder if he can take two at a time?... _ And so on."  
  
And then, as he tried to stand up for the second time, only to collapse again... he realized that he couldn't. It was like he was being held down by invisible hands – or like he had lost all control over his limbs. His vision was getting hazy, his eyes vacant, the last ounces of his strength leaving him for good. This had to be some kind of sick joke. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be real.  
  
"Shit, you're right. They really are eager." the stocky man replied, whistling his awe as he watched the screen over his partner's shoulder – followed by an exclamation of joy. "Wait, seriously? Over 2500 new members in the past thirty minutes, what the hell?!"  
  
"I told ya it was a good idea to announce we got ourselves a guy before we went live." the computer man said while the rest of the gang cheered amongst themselves. "Helps build up the hype big time."  
  
"You really are good at this, aren't you? But man... I knew the response would be great, but that boost is beyond anything I imagined. Guess it's going to be guy action every day for a while." was the response he got, but Akechi Goro only distantly registered it. He was too petrified, too afraid, watching wide-eyed as one of the other members of the gang dropped a big cardboard box near him, a box filled to the brim with what looked like among other things ropes, blindfolds, gag balls, toys of all kinds, and... and...  
  
"Well then... Shall we, boys?" came the cue in a lighthearted voice. "Time to cover your faces, you two. You, take the portable camera, make sure to get nice close-ups... Ah, wait, I'm just gonna finish this real quick..."  
  
The leader crouched over the teenager again, who didn't – couldn't – respond. Only one thing was still moving. His chest, rising and falling in rhythm with his long, deep breaths, a pattern that didn't change even as the man undid his tie and roughly unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his bare skin to the air, he couldn't move a muscle, he couldn't escape...  
  
"Damn, nasty bruise you got there. But that's alright, I'm sure some of our viewers are into that stuff. They can get pretty fucked up when they want to be."  
  
The pain in the teenager's shoulder was throbbing white-hot. He didn't want this. He tried to scream for help, he really did, but it would be no use even if his voice wasn't failing him, nobody would come, nobody would hear–  
  
"S... Stop..." he managed as the man popped off the last button of his shirt. Then, it happened. The slap was so unexpected, so sudden, all he could do was remain there entirely stunned, eyes wide with shock, head shivering. The burning sting was spreading all across his cheek.  
  
"Hmph, that's what you deserve, you know. A good old lesson." the leader said, his voice a chilling monotone. "I mean, I did some research on you. Famous high school detective, pampered by the media, solving case after case, sending dozens of criminals to jail... You probably think you're untouchable, don't you? All that fame got to your head, didn't it?"  
  
Save for him, there was not a sound. The man at the computers table had lit a cigarette, listening silently.  
  
"Still, how about catching our gang? That would be nice, wouldn't it?" the man continued, his smile friendly again. "Ah, but the thing is, you see... There's always going to be a time when you bite off more than you can chew. Wanna know why?"  
  
His expression changed. It was now cold, merciless, eerie. Completely devoid of human warmth.  
  
"Because in the end, you're nothing but a stupid kid. A dumbass brat playing superhero, all because Mommy and Daddy forgot to tell you the world is a big, scary place. Now it's up to the big guys to give you a reality check."  
  
He leaned in closer. Close enough to whisper the rest into his ear.  
  
"Little boys like you really oughta know... that there are some people out there you don't wanna mess with."  
  
With this, he promptly stood up and stepped back. His tone was radically different when he spoke up again – it was now lively, enthusiastic. "Alright boys, from here on out, we play by the spectators' rules. Any requests coming in yet?"  
  
"Tons." replied the man at the computer. "Looks like the majority's in the mood for full bondage and endurance play as a little warm-up. Gotta make sure to fumble a lot with the remote-controlled vibrator's settings, it always drives the public crazy..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, we know the drill. Okay, I'm gonna switch the cameras on, then you two can step in..."  
  
Akechi Goro heard, but that was it. The nebulous haze that had been his mind was still feebly working in a desperate act of self-preservation, screaming at him to resign himself to the imminent ordeal, urging him to just endure it. Perhaps he could hide his face in the crook of his arm. Yes, he could endure it so long as he hid his face... but it wasn't good. He didn't have the strength to raise a single limb, thousands of people were seconds away from laying their eyes upon him, watching him fall into the worst kind of disgrace and be toyed with every day until exhaustion, perhaps even death... But even if he managed to see the light of day again somehow, it would already be too late. He wouldn't ever recover from this, he was going to be marked for life, his entire existence about to end right here in this room, there was no more point in begging otherwise... and yet, his stubbornness wouldn't stop.  
  
_Someone... Anyone... Help..._  
  
And like a superior force heard his prayer, a miracle happened. A miracle that would save him... before revealing itself to be a treacherous beast, horrid curse.  
  
"Fire! Fire! Get out of here, right now!"  
  
It was like the world stopped for a moment. All five gang members froze on the spot, pricking up their ears like one might do after hearing a strange noise in an otherwise silent forest, with said noise in this case taking on the form of a distant and hysterical yell. Then, the door slammed open, and time began to march once more.  
  
"What are you still doing there?!" the newcomer shrieked, evidently acquainted with the group, his entire face slick with sweat. "The house caught fire! We gotta get out right now!"  
  
Nobody moved. The news couldn't pierce through the layers of each mind just yet. "Wha...? What are you sayi–"  
  
"And it's spreading, man, it's freaking spreading! The entire workshop downstairs is already swimming in–"  
  
As if to complete his words, the distinct sound of glass shattering suddenly went off in the distance – a deadly warning. The numbness slowing everybody's brains gave way to the beginning of panic all at once.  
  
"Holy shit, you're serious..." the computer man uttered, visibly shaken. "But how the hell did it sta–"  
  
"Who the fuck cares?! Let's get out of here, go, go, go!" the leader yelled right away, bolting for the exit, the rest of the gang following closely behind – until the computer man spoke up again.  
  
"Wait... What about him?" he asked while Akechi Goro struggled to heave himself to his feet, only to crumple back down. The teenager's terrified eyes met the gang leader's, and for the second time, everything seemed to go silent. Then–  
  
"Just leave him, you dumbass! We're outta here, alright?!"  
  
Something inside of Akechi Goro stopped. He had to have misheard. This sound of rushing footsteps receding away – he was imagining it. Those people abruptly gone from the room – just his mind playing tricks on him. That's right, it was all just a trick. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Yes, it wasn't real... it just wasn't...  
  
The teenager whimpered. He wiped his eyes and shook his head, resolving himself to attempt the impossible. He had to clear his mind, force himself to think straight, not succumb to panic... Perhaps it was the realization that he was hopelessly on his own from now on if he wanted to save himself, but a tiny fraction of his strength seemed to be fueling him again. Clinging to the adrenaline rush suddenly shooting through his veins, he slowly straightened up, half-dragging himself toward the door. He tried to rise up, and for a moment he did, he was standing on his own two legs, only to collapse forward in a heap. The drugs inside his system were too strong. He was done for.  
  
This is when he heard them. The crackling noises.  
  
Then came the smell of smoke. It was distant, not too suffocating yet, but invasive enough to prick his eyes and make the moisture build up. He quickly squeezed them shut.  
  
And when he opened them again... the sweat pouring through every last one of his pores fleetingly turned cold.  
  
It was all around him, consuming everything in its way, the former furniture now transformed into a raging torch. The fire had reached the room, engulfing even the air, while a hot, dark cloud of smoke spread out near the ceiling. The spotlights were no more, plunging the surroundings in darkness save for the orange glow of the flames that seemed to be dancing, growing wilder, bigger. The cameras were crumbling down, and the melting cables giving off a nauseating smell, so toxic and strong it made him feel sick. Akechi Goro gaped at it all, paralyzed by terror, the sight of the inferno branding itself into his captivated eyes. And even as the threads of panic were ensnaring his mind, one thought managed to break through, the realization that he must have passed out. Probably because of the drugs, a remote part of him suspected, or the poisonous smoke. What he was fully aware of, however, was that the oxygen was being sucked out, the heated air was becoming hot, scorching, suffocating, his skin was tingling uncontrollably, that really was it, he was going to be burned alive... His vision was being hindered. The smoke was getting denser around him, completely opaque, drowning out the little details all around in a nebulous wall of grayish black.  
  
And yet, despite it all, he saw it. The door, the door was gone, the parts near the hinges were charred to a crisp, he stopped thinking and flung himself forward – but inhaled a large quantity of smoke in the process, sending him into a coughing fit, bringing him to his knees once more. His eyes were stinging beyond the limits of tolerable, forcing him to feel around to navigate even as he covered them with his other arm. He was getting light-headed again, the stench of smoke was in his mouth, lungs, sticking to his clothes and skin, but he had to get out of here, he had to–  
  
The moment he reached past the door frame, Akechi Goro blacked out.  
  
_"Whaaat? Your dad was a pilot?"  
  
"No way!"  
  
"Yes way. He was the strongest, smartest dad in the world. Nothing scared him, ever! Not even jumping from his plane with his parachute!"  
  
"Yeah? Well my dad's a famous actor, you know? He's been to tons of countries and everyone always recognizes him. Can't wait till he comes back and pick me up from here!"  
  
"Is he gonna bring you to a movie set next time? I'm so jealous..."  
  
"Your dads all sound so lame. I don't remember my dad a lot, but I bet he was a way better dad than all your dads."  
  
"Yeah, right! What about you, Goro?"  
_  
There was an air of youthful restlessness in the playroom of Tokyo's outskirts' biggest orphanage. The hectic debate happening between a group of little boys was in full swing, and was unsurprisingly getting even more heated now that the notion of competition had been brought forward. At the mention of his name, a young boy with neck-length brown hair looked up.  
  
_"C'mon, there's no need to ask him! You know Goro doesn't know anything about his dad!"_ snickered a lanky youngster, his frame very much like that of a child who grew up too fast.

 _"Not true."_  the younger boy retorted right away while focusing on his drawing again.  _"Maybe I don't know my daddy, but that doesn't mean I don't know anything about him."_  
  
_"So you know something about him? How?"_ another child asked, sounding genuinely curious.  _"It's not like he ever came to your house before you arrived here, did he?"_  
  
_"No, he didn't. I haven't seen him ever."_ the boy replied casually as he reached for a red crayon. _"But my mommy loved him. This means my daddy is a good person."_  
  
The rest of the boys exchanged confused glances.  
  
_"That's it? That's what you know about your dad?"  
_  
_"No. I know lots more."_ the little boy responded, still too immersed in his drawing to bother looking up.  _"If my daddy was here, I bet he would bring me to the amusement park every Sunday, buy me lots of ice cream, and help with my homework. He would read me stories and kiss me goodnight, and carry me to bed when I fall asleep in front of the TV. And every time I feel sad, he would hold my hand and hug me tight, then make me a huge cup of hot chocolate."  
  
_ A short silence ensued at this. One of the children clutched his football tighter. Some others' gazes fell.  
  
_"But the best thing about him... is that my daddy would always keep me safe no matter what. He would protect me and if something happened, he would come for me right away and punch all the bad guys."  
  
_ His drawing was complete. He grabbed it in both hands, holding it as far as his little arms let him so as to observe the result. His expression gave nothing away.  
  
_"That's why I'm sure my daddy is not just a daddy. I know about his secret. In reality, my daddy is... a superhero."  
  
_ Nobody had spoken after that. The next thing Akechi Goro remembered doing was pinning his drawing over his bed, in such a way it would be the first thing he would see each morning upon waking up. The drawing of the person that would always be there for him. The drawing of the person that would always save him from danger. The drawing of an imposing superhero, muscular and standing proud, yet whose face was only a black silhouette. But faceless or not, he just knew this hero would always come to his rescue if circumstances had been different... he just knew.  
  
... Twelve years passed since that day.  
  
_Where... am I...?_  
  
Akechi Goro's head felt heavy. No, not only that – it felt painful, as if it was trapped in some kind of hydraulic press. The rest of his body was the same. His limbs were limp, refusing every command his hazy mind feebly sent out. Yet, his arms were moving. Not out of his own volition, but of their own. They were swaying back and forth slightly, like they were suspended upside down in mid-air. Like  _he_  was suspended upside down in mid-air.  
  
But as the rest of his senses was slowly coming back, as his awareness was drifting in and out, he realized that wasn't exactly it. Yes, the sensation was similar... but still different, and at last, it dawned fully on him. He was being carried on someone's shoulder, their hand securing him around his waist.  
  
It took him a considerable effort to open his eyes, and he hardly managed more than a crack. Along with a layer of heat blowing into them traveled a bright orange light, which he didn't take long to link to yet another set of flames. Those ones were tamer, though, closer to crackling sparks than full-fledged blaze, lighting up with a soft glow akin to that of candles the long, dark corridor he was apparently traversing. The warmth enveloping him felt comforting rather than menacing somehow, as though he could simply enjoy it caress his skin now that he was out of danger... because he knew he was. And even still, a distant voice echoed inside his head, urging him not to let his guard down, yelling how this person rescuing him might very well turn out to be one of the gang members who came back to retrieve their  _participant,_  but those warnings fell on deaf ears. He chose to believe his heart. And so Akechi Goro relaxed.  
  
If his savior noticed he was awake, it didn't show. They kept walking forward with an almost extraordinary lack of urgency, their grip on his waist tight but not painful. It was difficult to work out any significant detail from the teenager's angle, but he was feeling too exhausted to even try turning his head and catch a better glimpse. Something about the slow, steady pace of his benefactor made him feel at ease, almost rocking him to sleep, to the point his eyes were slowly but surely fluttering close again. And yet, his curiosity wouldn't back down. Was that person a firefighter? Or... _  
  
_ His eyelids were too heavy, and he finally gave in after what was a long, one-sided battle. His consciousness was dissolving away, guiding him to the edge of a world where everything was pitch-black.  
Even as he was succumbing to the darkness, he felt it. The gratitude warming his heart was powerful.  
But there was something else, too. A sort of uncomplicated joy, the relief of feeling entirely safe in someone else's presence and being able to rely on them completely without fearing a betrayal. He had no real grounds that could justify this feeling, only a child-like innocence speaking of instinctive trust. But it was more than enough.  
  
The last thing he sensed before complete nothingness swallowed him was a cool, soothing sensation pressing upon his injured shoulder. His breathing was peaceful.  
  
"... And with those confessions, the case of the missing teenage girls has come to an end. All of them have been reunited with their families and will be provided extensive therapy through government-funded assistance. Credit for the arrest has been attributed to Akechi Goro-san, who once again proves himself as a detective worthy of being called prodigious–"  
  
Ten days had gone by since the smoking room incident. The atmosphere inside Shidou Masayoshi's office, usually either tense or serious, was today one of celebration. That is, if Shidou's impenetrable gaze could be considered celebratory.  
  
"Thank you again, Shidou-san." Akechi Goro was saying, bowing deep in respect. "It is all thanks to you that I could solve this case."  
  
His superior's eyes flickered on him briefly before returning to his tablet. He then put it away and relaxed in his chair. "Hmph. Good thing we managed to grab hold of that waiter man. Using him to spit out names was easy enough."  
  
"It truly is incredible how you saw through him right away..." the teenager remarked, unable to suppress a genuine note of awe, before lowering his voice to a private undertone. "Almost as though you already knew he was part of the gang..."  
  
Shidou probably didn't hear him, or perhaps decided not to bother. Either way, he didn't respond.  
  
"At any rate, your popularity is certain to increase even more dramatically now that word of the arrest has gotten out." he said in that characteristic brisk tone of his. "I expect we can find many uses for this newfound influence."  
  
On this, Shidou did something the teenager never saw him doing until today – he removed his glasses, taking the time to polish nonexistent dirt off them. Akechi Goro couldn't help but feel intrigued. "I already asked the TV station president to schedule two more interviews for you next week. He will contact you shortly."  
  
It took several instants before the teenager registered the notice. He blinked once, then twice, finally pulling himself back to reality. "Ah... Understood."  
  
Interpreting his superior's silence as indication he was free to go, he inclined his head slightly, opening his mouth to excuse himself–  
  
"Before I forget... How is your shoulder?"  
  
Akechi Goro was taken aback. He stood there, lips still parted, mind momentarily freezing even as Shidou's inquisitive stare burned into him.  
  
"My shoulder...? It's... It's healing fine. The swelling is... almost gone."  
  
"I see... That's good. I expect you to fulfill those requests that kept piling up during those past few days as soon as you make a complete recovery."  
  
A brief silence settled in. Shidou looked him up and down, then spoke again. "But to think a criminal gang would try to get rid of you out of sheer paranoia, not to mention running into them in the first place... And you are saying they are not related to the culprits behind the serial kidnapping case?"  
  
Akechi Goro felt as though he had been electrified. Holding that piercing gaze was a struggle he didn't take long to lose. "... Yes. The staff of the hospital I was brought to told me the entire group managed to flee. Even now, the police have... no idea where they could be hiding."  
  
"... Really now." Shidou replied, a light flare streaking his glasses as he leaned closer, and Akechi Goro could see the skepticism etched along his face, could sense he didn't buy his lie at all...  
  
"Well, if you are positive... Hopefully the police take out the trash soon enough."  
  
And just like that, the teenager's dread immediately gave way to astonishment. Shidou reared back against his seat once more, looking perfectly oblivious. "I believe we are done for today. I will send you all the information you need regarding the requests later on."  
  
With this, Akechi Goro was dismissed. He bowed once again before hastily making for the door. But as he was about to pull it open... his curiosity got the better of him.  
  
"Um, Shidou-san... May I ask you a question?" he said timidly, his nerve surprising even himself. "I was just wondering... What happened to your...?"  
  
Try as he might, he couldn't take his eyes off him – off the bandages peeking from Shidou's sleeves. Bandages that looked exactly like those wrapped around Akechi Goro's head and limbs.  
  
"Something that doesn't concern you." the older man retorted curtly, giving both sleeves a tug to conceal the bandages underneath. "Save that nosiness for your actual job."  
  
A very long silence filled the room. Akechi Goro stared at him intently, gears spinning fast, mind scrambling with insane hypotheses... only to shake his head and smile a self-derisive smile at his foolishness. No way. That couldn't be it.  
  
With a shrug, the teenager apologized and left the room. Shidou let his gaze linger on the door behind which he had disappeared, and then gave a deep exhale.  
  
Akechi might be a good actor when it came to the public, but it was almost laughable how he could turn into such a poor liar as soon as he was in his presence. Because yes, that's what he was – a liar. Lying to Shidou Masayoshi, of all people... but then again, Shidou had lied to him, too.  
  
In the end, it seemed the kid really was cut from the same cloth as his. He wasn't sure what to think of that.  
  
The one thing he  _was_  sure of was that not only he had lied to Akechi, he had also been lying to himself. And even so, he wouldn't acknowledge it, not yet. Not ever.  
  
Because Shidou Masayoshi had already made his choice. A choice many would deem cruel, but that he only saw as natural. He knew where his priorities lay. Everything else was unnecessary. And when the time came... he would show no remorse.  
  
_But until then... I suppose I can play pretend a little while longer._  
  
That's right. Until then, he supposed he could indulge this repressed instinct of his... just a little longer.  
  
An instinct that was a thorn in his side. An instinct he could really do without. An instinct that made him human. The moment Akechi was gone, the last connection preventing the monster from entirely taking over would be severed.  
  
But so long as Shidou Masayoshi was still human... he would let this instinct guide his actions. No matter how much he tried to deny it. This was no instinct, he told himself again and again, only necessity – Akechi Goro's existence meant Shidou Masayoshi's triumph, and so he promised. For the time being, he would keep his most precious possession safe.  
  
Even if it meant having to play superhero.


End file.
